The Green Bay Packers made their 2026 wide receiver picture a lot clearer when they moved on from Dontayvion Wicks and let Romeo Doubs leave in free agency. That shift left Christian Watson sitting at the top of the depth chart, and the team backed that up with a four-year, $92 million contract extension.
That deal turned Watson into an immediate lightning rod. Reactions poured in fast, and Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton went as far as naming him the most overpaid wide receiver in the game.
On the surface, it’s easy to see why the contract raised eyebrows. Moton pointed out that “Although the Packers won't take a steep cap hit with Watson's new contract until 2028, he's owed the third-most cash among wide receivers this year behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Drake London,” and that alone makes the number feel aggressive.
But the full picture is more complicated than the headline price tag. Watson’s deal includes only $31 million guaranteed, which Packers beat writer Eli Berkovits noted is 26th among wide receivers. That matters, because the Packers built the contract so they can walk away if it goes sideways.
And that possibility is very much part of the calculation. Watson has shown he can be a primary pass catcher when healthy, even if that hasn’t always been the reality. Green Bay clearly believes the upside is worth the risk.
The Packers also aren’t putting everything on Watson’s shoulders. They have real confidence in Matthew Golden, who is expected to make a big jump in his second year after a somewhat disappointing rookie season. That gives Green Bay a fallback if Watson can’t stay on the field.
This kind of faith in Watson isn’t new, either. The Packers have long been high on their former second-round pick, and they already gave him a short-term extension before this one, essentially giving him a chance to prove he deserved a bigger payday. He did.
Now the pressure changes. Availability is the best ability, and Watson will be judged differently after this raise.
Still, calling him overpaid before he’s actually collected the money misses the structure of the deal. If he doesn’t deliver, the Packers can move on.
If he does, the contract could end up looking a lot better than it does right now.
The ball is in Watson’s court now. The critics are talking, and the next step is on him.
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